Most cities would kill to Host the Super Bowl, given the amount of revenue that it brings in, with hundreds of thousands of people coming to town for the Big Game. To put it into perspective, a Super Bowl typically generates between $300 and $500 million for the host city, with most of that money benefiting local restaurants, hotels and shops.

So why would New Orleans willingly turn down such a revenue driver? NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that a “scheduling conflict” was to blame, resulting in Super Bowl 58 being moved to Las Vegas.

Here at the League Meetings in Dallas: The anticipation is that there will be a vote to approve Las Vegas as a Super Bowl host site for 2024, Super Bowl 58. New Orleans was initially supposed to host, but a scheduling conflict necessitated an audible.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 14, 2021

Naturally, people began questioning what sort of “scheduling conflict” could be more important than hosting the juggernaut that is the Super Bowl. A quick peek at the calendar, and it was easy to figure out – Mardi Gras. You see, Super Bowl LVIII is scheduled for February 11, 2024, which is smack dab in the middle of Mardi Gras, and just two days prior to Fat Tuesday.

That’s pretty much the busiest weekend for New Orleans, with hotels sold out, restaurants and bars packed, and city employees stretched thin to keep things under control. The Mardi Gras celebration generates more than one BILLION dollars in revenue for the city, so it makes the Super Bowl look like child’s play in comparison financially.

If they tried to host both events, it would have caused more problems than it would have been worth, so it’s easy to see why they declined. Las Vegas was happy to step in to host, and in turn New Orleans will host Super Bowl LIX the following year on February 9, 2025, which is nearly a month apart from Fat Tuesday. So everyone wins in the end.

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